Les Bamblett
Encyclopedia
Les Bamblett is a former Australian rules football
er who played with Melbourne
and Footsray
in the Victorian Football League
(VFL).
An Indigenous Australian, Bamblett played as a forward and who won the 1982 Morrish Medal
, as the best and fairest
player in the VFL Under 19's competition. The following year he made his senior debut, against Collingwood
in the opening round of the 1983 VFL season
, kicking two goals. He made a further 10 appearances that year.
Bamblett trained at Richmond
in the 1984 pre-season but they couldn't come to an agreement with Melbourne on a transfer fee. He instead joined West Australian Football League
club Claremont
for the 1984 season. Clearance issues meant he was unable to play a senior game and upon receiving an offer from Footscray, returned to Victoria during the season.
He kicked 51 goals for Footscray in 1984, to finished second in his club's the goal-kicking behind Simon Beasley
. His 24 games that season included three finals. Over the next three years he struggled with injuries and was only able to add a further six games to his tally.
Two of his nephews, Chris Egan
and Andrew Lovett
, both played in the Australian Football League.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er who played with Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
and Footsray
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
in the Victorian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(VFL).
An Indigenous Australian, Bamblett played as a forward and who won the 1982 Morrish Medal
Morrish Medal
The Morrish Medal is an Australian rules football award.Formerly awarded to the Best and Fairest player in the VFL Under 19 competition , since 1992 the award has been given to the best player in the Victorian TAC Cup Under 18 competition.The Morrish Medal was named in honour of Tom Morrish, a...
, as the best and fairest
Best and Fairest
Best and Fairest is the term commonly used in Australian sport to describe the player adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition while not receiving a suspension for misconduct or breaching the rules during that season.In the...
player in the VFL Under 19's competition. The following year he made his senior debut, against Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
in the opening round of the 1983 VFL season
1983 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1983.-Attendance:A total of 3,631,042 people attended VFL matches during the 1983 season, an average of about 26,312 per game . A combined total of 420,439 attended finals matches in 1983, an average of 70,073 per finals match...
, kicking two goals. He made a further 10 appearances that year.
Bamblett trained at Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
in the 1984 pre-season but they couldn't come to an agreement with Melbourne on a transfer fee. He instead joined West Australian Football League
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
club Claremont
Claremont Football Club
The Claremont Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football club in the West Australian Football League . Its official colours are navy blue and gold....
for the 1984 season. Clearance issues meant he was unable to play a senior game and upon receiving an offer from Footscray, returned to Victoria during the season.
He kicked 51 goals for Footscray in 1984, to finished second in his club's the goal-kicking behind Simon Beasley
Simon Beasley
Simon Beasley is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray in the Victorian Football League .Recruited from Swan Districts in the WAFL, Beasley moved to Melbourne in 1982 to pursue his career as a stockbroker, and signed with Footscray in the VFL...
. His 24 games that season included three finals. Over the next three years he struggled with injuries and was only able to add a further six games to his tally.
Two of his nephews, Chris Egan
Chris Egan (footballer)
Chris Egan is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.Picked up by Collingwood with their first round draft pick, tenth overall, in the 2004 AFL Draft from Rumbalara on the Murray...
and Andrew Lovett
Andrew Lovett
Andrew Lovett is an Aboriginal Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League for Essendon between 2005 and 2009...
, both played in the Australian Football League.